Tuesday, October 29, 2013

It would be difficult to overstate Lou Reed's contributions to modern music. As founder and lead singer of the most influential rock band of all time, The Velvet Underground, he did more to broaden the lyrical range of popular music than just about anyone since Lennon/McCartney or Bob Dylan. His formative influence on punk music is undeniable; as essential to punk's progression as Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, and The Ramones. Even his voice, which has nothing in the way of technical proficiency, has been endlessly imitated. (Listen to any Sonic Youth record from the '80s or '90s and you'll hear Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon doing their best Lou Reed impression.)

Post-Velvet Underground, Reed collaborated with kindred spirit David Bowie, became a glam-rocker, became whatever is the opposite of a glam-rocker, released an entire album of noise (Metal Machine Music) that is still divisive, and experimented with everything from rap to cabaret. He also cultivated a curmudgeonly public persona that grew more myopic with each passing year. Reed had a special loathing for music critics; many of his interviews seem weirdly tense, even on the page, and he was notorious for blowing cigar smoke in his interlocutors' faces. Given his long-standing antipathy for music journalism, it was downright shocking when earlier this year he published a lengthy review of Kanye West's album Yeezus. In typical Reed fashion the review was effusive, profanity-laden, and entirely heartfelt.

Lou Reed lived one of those wild American lives that, however improbably, just kept on going. He underwent electroshock therapy as a teenager, experimented with everything that the '60s/'70s New York art-scene had to offer, hung out at Andy Warhol's Factory, struggled with narcotics addiction, remade himself artistically, time and time again, and left a musical legacy that continues to inspire and challenge.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Some straight-up horror films can come off as ridiculous, so here's some suggestions for films that are just disturbing for one reason or another. Not an exhaustive list, so feel free to add to it in the comments section. What creeps you out?

Cape Fear - Depending on which version you watch, Robert Mitchum or Robert DeNiro terrorize a family.Find it in the catalog

Lawless - A family of bootleggers defy the law during prohibition in the South.
This one is probably the least creepy on the list, however there is one
particular scene that I find completely disturbing - someone's throat is
cut. Plus the creep factor is heightened by Guy Pearce's performance.Find it in the catalog

Murder By Numbers - Two teenage boys (a young Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt) are suspected of murder by a cop with her own demons (Sandra Bullock). Find it in the catalog

No Country For Old Men - Hit-man Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) uses an unusual weapon of choice to dispatch his victims. The tension in this film is palpable. Find it in the catalog